Curious Hearts

Matt Candler is one of my favorite kinds of people. He’s humble. He’s funny. And he’s not willing to change paths.

One of the hardest things for each of us to learn in the course of our lives is the way we used to do things isn’t the best way anymore. We often wrestle with the guilt of our old misunderstandings, or we feel that “sunk cost fallacy” in all the time or energy we spent in something that no longer fits us.

It takes tremendous courage to change.

When reviewing this episode, that’s the thing I think we all can learn from Matt’s example. His humility is palpable — understanding the heavy weight of his privilege, and constantly seeking out folks with a different experience to continue to learn from.

When he ran 4.0 schools, I was always impressed by how much he looked to other business models and organizational styles to inform education. “We’ve always done it this way,” is a poor excuse, and he built an organization that is constantly challenging us to be better adults for the children in schools.

And when he burnt out of running a nonprofit (because who doesn’t?), he didn’t double down and force anything. He built a gracious transition, and shifted into his latest joy: electrifying everything.

I hope in this conversation you’ll hear how humor and humility overlap, and take away the great gifts of an active practice of compassion.

Stay curious.

Chapters

00:00 — Welcome & introduction02:00 — Growing up Presbyterian and performing spirituality10:30 — Family legacy and emotional inheritance16:00 — Leaving conservative faith for inclusive community19:20 — Creating a modern spiritual practice24:30 — Loneliness, creativity, and finding joy again31:00 — Parenting, presence, and play as spiritual work39:00 — Compassion meditation and forgiveness45:00 — “Like me” awareness: seeing our shared humanity55:00 — God as the space between us

Referenced Concepts & Resources

* Hebrews 12:1 — “Surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…”

* Lovingkindness by Sharon Salzberg

* Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) — Stanford University

* Dieter Rams — Less but better

* Walt Whitman — “I am large, I contain multitudes.”

* Flatland by Edwin Abbott — on geometry and spirituality

* Artwork by Nic Aziz — @nicoelganso/

Connect with Vera Lester

Learn more or work with me → veralester.comSchedule a coaching inquiry → https://veralester.as.me/Coaching-DiscoveryFollow on Instagram → @verarocksSubscribe to Curious Hearts wherever you listen.

If this episode resonates, please share it or leave a review — it helps other curious hearts find the show. 💛

It took me all week to record this episode.

The form and the content of this work are often the same. I often find that I live out these episodes for a week at a time before I can sit down to record.

Recording an episode about Courage required courage.

In many ways, this episode is a distillation of why this project is so important to me, and why I needed to share Curious Hearts with you.

I need to be reminded of the ways that I let my doubts and fears get in the way of the life I really want. And how often those fears are just fear of the unknown. What I have learned in following my own spiritual path is that it has often led me to places I never expected - or even imagined.

And even fantastic unknown things are still unknown. In order to step out of the safety of our mundane prison, we must find courage.

The practice of courage is more important today than it has ever been in my life. The threats and the fears are more real than they have ever been.

So developing this skill is more essential than even.

With desire and fear, wrapped together, I send you love.

In May of 2022, I took a leap of faith and traveled across the country to the Northwest Astrology Conference. I’m grateful for so much of what I learned in that journey, but perhaps most grateful for meeting my new friend Bear Hickman.Bear is an esoteric healer, astrologer, and psychotherapist with her feet solidly on the ground yet her magic is in full view. There is no shortage of f-bombs in this conversation, and we talk about grace, astrology, recovery, and mastectomies… and so much more.

This fierce vulnerability is probably what drew me to her in that elevator, and I am so delighted to share our conversation with y’all.

Some highlights:

✨ The link between addiction, creativity, and spiritual seeking

✨ How to recognize and move through spiritual bypassing

✨ The sacredness of the body and the power of pleasure

✨ How humor and beauty can become spiritual practice

✨ What to do when your life falls apart — and how to trust what comes next.

We mentioned:

* Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa

* John Welwood — “spiritual bypassing”

* Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott

* Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown

About Bear Hickman:Bear (Lauren K. Hickman) is a licensed clinical social worker associate, longtime astrologer, and Reiki teacher. Through Ursidae Integrative Therapy and her Moon Mailer, she helps clients connect the spiritual and the psychological with compassion and humor.🌙 Website: https://ursidae.us/🪐 Substack: ursidae.substack.com📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ursidae____/

Connect with Vera💫 Website: veralester.com✨ Schedule a coaching inquiry: veralester.as.me/coaching-discovery🕯️ Support the podcast: https://veralester.substack.com/subscribe📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verarocks/

St. Theresa of Avila calls it the “Interior Palace.” Rumi talks about the treasure buried underneath our own house.

It’s a truth that we’ve been fighting for centuries: you can’t buy this. No one sell it to you, and there’s no easy fix. The treasure you’re seeking is inside.

What you’re looking for is already here, and you already have everything you need to find it. That’s the good news, and the bad news.

It would be easier if just one more training, certification, book about meditation, or podcast had the secret to what you seek. None of them do. Not even this one.

We all need teachers, and guides, and community. We need to get skilled at working with our golden raw materials. But never let that get confused: you already have it. It’s nothing other than you.If you’ve ever felt like you’re not enough, or that joy and fulfillment are always “out there,” this episode offers a reminder: the treasure has been inside you all along.

⏱️ Chapters00:00 – Do we already have everything we need?02:00 – Yoga philosophy & the true self (Atman)09:45 – Rumi, St. Teresa & the treasure within16:00 – Consumer culture & the illusion of “not enough”22:00 – The inner pull as divine guidance24:30 – Spiritual practices to peel away what’s not true28:40 – Becoming whole & self-possessed

🙏 If this episode resonates, please like, subscribe, and share with someone on their spiritual path.

🔗 Explore coaching + classes: veralester.com

And in the meantime, take excellent care.

#spiritualawakening #selfdiscovery #innerwork #yogaphilosophy #RumiQuotes #spiritualgrowth

This episode was a big deal for me: it was the first time I interviewed someone I had never met before.

I launched Curious Hearts to learn how people from all backgrounds, walks of life, and beliefs live a spiritual life. To me, it is especially important to talk to people I don’t know — because they are more likely to have a different experience than I do.In this episode, Lee and I had a wide-ranging conversation about traveling, building community, and being willing to be uncomfortable. Lee shares how his early exposure to Catholicism, Episcopalian traditions, Judaism, and even the influence of the Seneca Tribe shaped his understanding of faith and belonging.

We talk about what it means to be “watched” versus “watched over,” the importance of community and mentorship, and the ways our ancestors and spiritual practices support us when life gets difficult. Lee also reflects on his years living and working in Asia, where Eastern philosophy, Buddhism, and even daily prayer rituals deepened his perspective.

From Marcus Aurelius to Howard Thurman, from quiet prayer to outdoor adventures, Lee reminds us that self-actualization and spiritual growth often come through leaning into discomfort, building authentic community, and practicing forgiveness with ourselves first.

✨ If this conversation resonates with you, please subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a friend.

🌐 Learn more about my work at veralester.com📩 Coaching inquiry form: veralester.as.me/coaching-discovery📸 Connect on Instagram: @verarocks

In a world that is clamoring and competing for your precious attention, learning to direct and re-direct our attention is a powerful skills. In an “attention economy,” your focus is the currency. Are you spending it wisely?Like most things other that are simple and powerful, mastering our attention is not easy.But learning to redirect our focus when it’s been hijacked is at the core of every other thing we want to achieve. This is the only part of your consciousness I believe you can have near full control over.

In this episode, we use breath as a point of focus. There’s a brief meditation practice at about 20:00. Please feel free to skip right to that, and use it as an anchor for your practice this week.

At the end of the episode, I share one of my favorite practices that I give my coaching clients. It’s a powerful way to re-shape how you see yourself and your whole life.00:00 – Welcome & why attention matters02:50 – Attention as currency in today’s world07:30 – A personal story: shifting focus after yoga teacher training15:05 – The yoga teachings of dharana, dhyana, and samadhi20:36 – Guided breath meditation + reflections

ECLIPSE SEASON SPECIAL

I have a special Eclipse Season offer, only available until September 22! $108 for a one hour consult.

We can:

☑ Strategize how to use these eclipses as a catalyst for your growth

☑ Re-evaluate or shift your plans for the coming season so you’re prepared for changes

☑ Look at your ancestral lineage, and create a veneration ritual for deeper connection

☑ Get into nuts & bolts of how the eclipses are hitting your chart…

☑ Or maybe you want some one-on-one guidance about learning how to harness your attention, without sticking your head in the sand?Find a time here:

https://veralester.as.me/eclipse

P.S. This offer is only available in the eclipse window from 9/8-9/22, but you can schedule your session after the 22nd.

In the meantime, take great care of yourself, and keep leaning into your curiosity. All my love,

Vera

Thirteen years ago, I sat at the Downtown Wild Lotus Yoga studio, deep in the Marigny, to listen to an information session about a yoga teacher training.

My boyfriend at the time joked that we should “weld me up a tall bike.” I was used to being CBD-downtown, not downtown-downtown. To say I was out of my element was an understatement.

I got there, and was surprised how beautiful and warm the studio was. I found a blanket seat, and a couple rows ahead I saw it: a Rattail. I sooo did not belong here with these tattooed, rattailed punks. It turns out that rattail belonged to today’s guest, who has become one of my dearest friends, and favorite people on the planet. Our friendship is a testament to never judging a book by its cover, and always being willing to be surprised.

It turns out: I did belong. And so did they.

I am a better person for knowing Bear, and I think you will be better after having listened to this episode.

We talked about finding and losing Jesus, the petulance of adolescence, and the profound maturity required to be Who You Are, in spite of everything. Also: Plants. Bear is the Plant Witch, and I am the Animal Witch.

We are kindred, they are a gift, and that I know for sure. Enjoy.

Books & Authors Mentioned

* Ibram X. Kendi — Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America

* Robin Wall Kimmerer — Braiding Sweetgrass

* Eduardo Galeano — We Say No

* bell hooks — if you’re new to bell hooks, start with All About Love: New Visions

* James Baldwin — writings on truth, liberation, and the possibility of a better future.

Bear’s Essay about leaving yoga is here: https://bearteachesyoga.org/blog/2018/10/18/a-letter-to-my-yoga-students

Connect with Bear: @bearhebert_ on Instagram, or https://www.bearcoaches.com/

If you loved today’s episode, would you share it with one person you think will enjoy it? I need your help to spread the good word. It’s also helpful if you comment on Substack, or rate the show wherever you’re listening.

I am available for Meaningful Work Coaching and Spiritual Coaching — to help you be Who You Are all the time. Find out more at http://veralester.as.me/coaching-discovery.

Take great care, Curious Hearts, and we’ll see you soon. <3

“The divine is in the space between us.”

The lessons of community have been so much harder for me than I think they should be. If many hands make light work, then why is it so hard to reach out for help? Do I really want to work so hard all the time?

Being with other people doesn’t always feel “light,” and our modern lives make isolation very tempting. We have to choose to being with others most of the time, and the veil of modernity fools us into think we’re doing it All By Ourselves.

Spiritual life is the same. It’s tempting to go into the cave, sit and meditate, and arrive at a place where we no longer need anyone or anything.

Because then we can never be hurt.

Unfortunately, that’s not how life works.

This episode is partly a reminder to myself — and a gentle nudge to you — to reach out. I talk about the people you’ll meet on the path, and how they support our development and why it’s so necessary.

Isolation is tempting. But it’s a trick.

Let’s go, together.

Thanks for listening. If this conversation stirred something in you, I’d love to hear it. You can share your reflections or questions in the comments on Substack, or send me a note directly.

Want more ways to connect?

* Subscribe to this podcast on Apple or Spotify so you don’t miss an episode.

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* Curious about coaching? Learn more or schedule a discovery call at veralester.as.me/coaching-discovery.

And if you think a friend might need this episode, pass it along — that’s how this circle of listeners grows.

Until next time, may you find ease and peace in every breath.

Isabelle Guzman is a medicine woman, an artist, a dancer, a photographer, and a retired body worker. Our spiritual paths have crossed and interwoven for years, and I’m so delighted to share this conversation with you.

A lot of Isabelle’s work focuses on celebration of the magic in every day life, but also on creating the freedom we’re all seeking.

We talk about her background growing up across and between traditions, her studies with a Mayan traditional healer, and her aim to be astonished in every moment.

I was especially honored that Isabelle shared her story of sobriety with us — and partially because of that, and by her request, I will not be sharing any video from this interview. Because consent is love.

00:00 - Welcoming Isabelle

01:40 - Isabelle's Early Spiritual Journey

20:19 - Discovering Herbalism and Studying in Belize

34:03 - Transitioning to a New Chapter

38:20 - The Impact of 12-Step Programs

42:31 - Embracing Spiritual Practices and Community

🕊️ #SpiritualPractice #CreativityAndFaith #EverydaySacred #LivingTheQuestions #HealingThroughArt

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Listening is as sacred a spiritual practice as anything else I know. It gives us a framework for how to witness the world without needing to act immediately, training us to be responsive and not reactive. It’s also a direct portal into deep appreciation of everything that already here for us — you’ll never be bored again.

Listening practice is one of the ways we train ourselves to be “more sensitive, but less affected.”

And it is the essential skill for deep relationships; with ourselves, our loves, and the mystery.

00:00 — Welcome and Why Listening is Powerful

20:40 — Skip to Practice

30:57 — Reflection on the Practice

39:49 — Bonus: City Park Soundscape

Once you get the hang of this practice, it’s a friend you can rely on anytime, and anywhere. Let me know how it goes for you — and as always, if I can be of service, shoot me a message or visit me at www.veralester.com.

#Listening #ListeningPractice #SpiritualPractice #DeeperConnection #Mindfulness #CuriousHearts